Complete Games from McDaniel and Tuttle Lead Baseball to Saturday Sweep of Erskine 5-2 and 7-2

MISENHEIMER, N.C. – A day after being shutout on a complete game Friday, Pfeiffer University used a pair of complete games themselves by John McDaniel (Mocksville, NC) and Bryan Tuttle (Lenoir, NC) to bounce back for a Saturday sweep of Erskine 5-2 and 7-2 in Conference Carolinas baseball action on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons improve to 11-11 overall and maintain the league’s top spot at 5-1 while the Flying Fleet fall to 13-5, 2-4.

In the opener, McDaniel went the distance throwing 141 pitches allowing just two runs on five hits with 10 strikeouts. Both runs allowed to Erskine were solo homers by John Bolding (Pickens, SC) in the fourth and ninth innings.

Pfeiffer’s four-run first started with a Jacob Yates (Blairs, VA) leadoff walk and quickly turned into two runs after Mike Green (Brandon, FL) singled to center and Jon Gray (Granite Falls, NC) doubling down the right field line. Eric Shoemaker (Huntersville, NC) followed with an RBI-single to right that scored Gray for a 3-0 lead. Later in the first with runners at the corners, Hunter Boehme (Winston-Salem, NC) dropped down a perfect safety squeeze that scored Shoemaker for the frame’s final run. Shoemaker would later add a solo bomb in the eighth for a 5-1 game.

The Falcons doubled up the Flying Fleet 10-5 in the hits department with two each from Yates, Shoemaker and Wade. Gray and Shoemaker each had a pair of RBI in the win while Bolding had hits two hits and two RBI. Erskine starter Heath Gray (Byrnes, SC) was roughed up in the loss unable to get two outs in the bottom of the first. Andrew Guest (Easley, SC) soaked up the final 7.2 innings from the bullpen allowing one run on six hits in the relief stint.

In game two, Tuttle went the distance striking out 11 in the win. The right-hander allowed just two runs on six hits moving to 3-2 on the year.

Erskine started strong in game two with back-to-back leadoff singles from Luke Danielewicz (Spartanburg, SC) and Brian Laznik (Chardon, OH) in the first. Both would later come around on a one-out single to center by Drew Willingham.

Pfeiffer responded with three two-out runs, a part of seven unanswered, in the second to regain the lead for good en route to the Saturday sweep. The second began with a pair of walks to Gray and Shoemaker followed by a couple of quick outs for freshman Kevin Price (Asheville, NC). Price promptly stepped up with a two-run single into right squaring the contest at two. Jesse Dunn (Easley, SC) followed with a double to left-center to plate Price for a 3-2 lead.

In a four-run third, Gray started the spurt with a one-out walk followed by back-to-back singles from Shoemaker and Aarin Sharpe (Winterville, NC). Boehme was drilled with the next pitch to plate Gray while Price came up with a base on balls to bring in Shoemaker. Yates would follow with a slow-rolling infield single to short that scored Sharpe, while Boehme came around in the same sequence on the ensuing throwing error at short.

Yates picked up two more hits in the nightcap as did Sharpe. Laznik led the Flying Fleet with a pair of hits as the Falcons touched up another Erskine starter as Chase Corn (Travelers Rest, SC) would chased after 2.1 innings.

Pfeiffer will now face Mars Hill in a home-and-home series on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday’s 2:30 p.m. contest will take place at the Falcons’ Joe Ferebee Field.